Kayla sat in Rowan’s front room, holding on to Connor as she explained to Tom what had happened. How she knew Chad and why she’d been there in the first place. She gave him any contact information she had on Chad’s family.

Her son had fallen asleep again in her arms. She allowed Rowan to take him upstairs but missed his warmth when he was gone. She’d held on to him, sheltered him from seeing his father… like that.

“So, the door was open?” Tom asked again.

“Not all the way. The hotel lock was flipped, so all I had to do was knock and push the door open.”

“Did you touch anything?”

She shook her head. “I screamed and turned away so…” Her breath hitched. “So my son wouldn’t see.” She closed her eyes.

“And why were you meeting him?”

“Chad wanted to be a family. I was there to tell him… that I’ve moved on.” Her eyes met Rowan’s as he came back into the room from laying Connor upstairs.

She ran over everything two more times before the two officers finally left them alone.

“If we have any further questions…”

“They will be here,” Rowan added, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

Tom nodded, then left, just as Crystal came rushing up the drive. “What’s happened?” Worry flooded her eyes. “Connor?”

“He’s fine,” Rowan added.

“We’re both fine,” she said when Crystal wrapped her in her arms.

“Come on in, we’ll fill you in.” Rowan tugged his aunt into the house.

“I’ll go check on Connor,” Kayla said, looking to Rowan.

“Go, I’ve got this.” He touched her arm.

She started up the stairs as Rowan began talking quietly. Kayla heard Crystal’s gasp when she reached the top of the stairs. More tears threatened to fall so she pushed them back like she’d pushed away the image of Chad hanging there in the room.

She toed off her shoes and crawled into the bed next to Connor and pulled him up close to her as silent tears flowed.

She woke when Connor climbed off the bed.

“Where are you going, sweetie?”

“Poddy.” He paddled across the floor and disappeared into the bathroom.

“Everything okay?” Rowan’s voice came from the hallway.

She sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Yes.”

The toilet flushed and Connor called out, “Mommy, I can’t reach the sink to wash my hands.”

“I’ve got it.” Rowan disappeared into the bathroom. She heard them talking, then her son’s laughter filled the room, causing her to smile. Her heart melted as she listened to the pair of them joking and having fun.

When they came back out, Rowan’s shirt was wet and they both had smiles on.

“Mommy, can we move over here?” He looked around the room. “This could be my room.” Her son’s forwardness caught her off guard, and she looked at Rowan and frowned slightly.

“Sweetie, why don’t you let Rowan and I talk about it first.” Her son pouted. “Why don’t we head back over to Crystal’s place for now?”

“No!” Her son held onto Rowan tighter. “I asked Row and he said it was fine.”

“Kiddo, we talked about this, remember. I said it was fine if it was okay with your mom, that we’d have to talk first.” Rowan set her son on the edge of the bed. His eyes moved to hers. “Crystal said she could watch him if we need some time.”

“You talked to your aunt about this?” She couldn’t describe the hurt she was feeling.

“I… asked if she would be able to watch him so we could have some time to talk about other things.” He sat next to her and took her hand. “I’m worried about you two.”

She wanted to jerk her hand free but stopped herself. She stood up and walked to the bathroom. “I’ll freshen up.” She shut the door behind her and leaned back against it. Closing her eyes, she played over the past few days in her mind.

She was just starting to feel like she was going someplace on her own. She’d talked to her mother about moving in after the garage sale that weekend. She was thinking of adding more hours to the store during the day. She’d even talked to Olivia about changing up the schedule a little.

Now Rowan wanted them to move in with him. How did that affect her? Her mind flashed to the image of Chad and she sunk against the door, pulling her knees up to her chest.

He’d tried to control her. He’d gotten her to move to Florida, moved her into the small apartment. She’d sworn she would never be persuaded to give up her freedom again.

Even though she knew Rowan was nothing like Chad, she still didn’t want to feel pressured to make a decision.

She heard the pair leave the room and head down the stairs.

Still, she remained on the floor, her head tucked between her legs as she thought. After everything had circled in her mind several times, she pulled herself up and splashed water on her face.

She knew what she had to do. She just wished she was strong enough to pull it off.

She found Rowan in the kitchen, grilling chicken and cooking quinoa, and vegetables. The food smelled wonderful. Connor was coloring at the table and smiled at her as she walked in.

She sat down next to him and watched her son work on his picture.

“Figure it out yet?” Rowan asked as he turned the burner off.

“Yes,” she said softly.

“And?” He turned to her.

“We can’t. Not yet.” She placed a hand on her son’s shoulder. Connor frowned up at her, but she continued. “We are going to move in with Mema next week,” she added and saw her son’s eyes grow brighter.

“Honest?” he asked and she quickly nodded in reply.

Rowan leaned back as if he’d been slapped. “Kayla, I want you both here, with me. I didn’t mean to pressure you.” He took her shoulders until she stood and looked into his eyes.

“I know. It’s just… I need some time to process everything.” Their eyes searched one another and finally, he added, “Take your time, I’m not going anywhere.” He pulled her into his arms, just as the doorbell chimed.

“That’s probably your mother. She called when you were upstairs. I invited her over for dinner.” He dropped his arms. “If you’re up for it?”

She nodded and walked towards the front door to let her mother in. When she opened the door, her mother gathered her in her arms.

“Crystal called and told me everything.” Her mother pulled back. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

She nodded. “We’re fine.”

She hadn’t realized how wonderful it was to have her mother hug her like this. She wished she could hold onto that feeling for the rest of her life.

“Mema!” Connor came running from the back room. “I colored this for you.” He held up the page he’d been coloring.

“For me?” Her mother knelt down and hugged her son.

She thought about all the changes her mother had made over the past month. She had gotten her hair styled and had started dressing better. Kayla hadn’t even noticed until now. As they sat at Rowan’s dinner table, she realized that her mother was actually wearing makeup. She couldn’t remember the last time her mother had put any on. Long before her father had left them.

Her mother smiled as she kept Connor’s mind off of the fact that his father had just died. She could still see the worry in her eyes when she looked over at her, but Kayla could tell that she was making an effort to keep Connor happy.

“If there’s anything you need,” her mother said on the front porch as she walked her out. The rain had continued to fall, leaving the night air with a chill in it. The dark streets looked washed clean as she looked out from Rowan’s front porch.

“Mom?” She turned back to her mother. “Are you okay?”

Her mother smiled. “Yes, sweetie. I’m…” She took a deep breath and moved closer. “I’m perfectly fine.”

“You’ve changed so much. Since I’ve returned. I’m just afraid that—”

“I’ve met someone,” her mother broke in, causing her eyes to widen.

“Someone as in… someone?” she asked.

Her mother smiled and nodded. “I went down to the hardware store to replace that electric mower with a gas one and… met Gary.” She sighed and Kayla could see the wistfulness.

“I’m happy for you.” She took her mother’s hands. “Really, I am.”

Her mother looked to the front door. “You and Connor have found a good man. I haven’t told you this, but before you returned, Rowan would stop by and try…” She shook her head. “So many others have tried, but I was too far gone. But Rowan, he and Crystal continued to try. They never gave up on me.” Her mother’s shoulders straightened. “Never again. I promise.”

“Oh, Mom, I wish I had known.”

“Don’t. We can’t change the past.” Her mother took her shoulders. “I’m so very proud of you. You know that right?”

Kayla nodded as tears rolled down her face again.

“Don’t hold back in life, sweetie. Don’t let things get you down. Take control. If you want something, go after it. I wish I had opened my eyes years ago. I allowed someone to hurt me so bad, it took a lot to come out of my trance.” She brushed a strand of hair away from Kayla’s face. “JT has promised to help out until this weekend. Take a few days. I’ll see you Friday morning for the garage sale.”

She leaned over and kissed her mother. “Goodnight.”

She stood out in the chill of the night and watched her mother leave.

The street was dark and she could hear her son and Rowan laughing at the cartoons they were watching inside the house. She thought about taking her son across the street to the big house and sleeping in the big bed alone. Then she imagined what it would be like living with Rowan.

She was just turning to go back inside when she heard a noise behind her. Turning, she glanced into the darkness, scanning it for the cause of the noise. She was just about to turn back and go inside when she heard a loud noise, and she fell face forward as the pain of being shot consumed her.

* * *

Rowan jerked Connor underneath him when he heard the shot, then he was up and out the front door when he realized Kayla was still outside.

“Stay put,” he told Connor, who looked at him with huge eyes.

When he opened the front door, Kayla’s unconscious body fell inside. He pulled her further in and shut the door.

The trail of blood in his entryway caused his heart to skip for the second time that day.

His mind took over as he applied pressure to the hole in her side.

“Connor, get my phone from the coffee table,” he called out. Then he thought about what the kid would see if he came into the hallway. “Stay in there. Do you know how to dial 911?”

He could see Connor’s shadow just inside the doorway.

“Yes,” Connor called back.

“Call them, tell them to send an ambulance.” He continued the pressure as he checked Kayla’s pupils.

He could hear Connor talking to someone on the phone.

“I don’t know, it’s Row’s house,” he was saying.

Just then, his front door burst open. He flung his body over Kayla’s then looked up when his aunt rushed in.

“I heard… Where’s Connor?”

“In there,” he nodded. “He called 911 but he doesn’t know the address. Help him.” He turned back to Kayla as his aunt rushed into the other room.

He didn’t feel his heart beat again until the EMTs had Kayla strapped to a gurney. He’d worked with the EMTs for the past few years and they allowed him to ride with her to the hospital. His aunt took Connor so he wouldn’t see his mother like this.

“We’ll follow along,” she’d called to him as he climbed into the back of the ambulance. He worked on getting her vitals steady as they rushed towards the nearest hospital more than fifteen minutes away.

She hadn’t opened her eyes the entire trip, which worried him, but her vitals leveled out just before they pulled into the ER.

He stood back as the ER doctor took over. He relayed information when asked, but for the most part, he stood against the wall as his hands shook, covered in her blood.

A nurse took his arm and led him out of the room as they worked on her. “Dr. Holley,” she said, “come with me.” He followed her closely, since his vision had blurred. He knew the possibilities and every scenario ran through his mind.

His mother arrived and when he saw Connor, he rushed to the nearest restroom to clean the blood off him. He didn’t want the kid to freak out.

When he stepped back out, Kayla’s mother was there, holding Connor close to her.

“What happened?” she asked when she saw him.

He shook his head. “I… I don’t know. She walked out on the porch with you, then… we heard a shot.” He glanced down at Connor, who looked like he’d been crying. Reaching over, he took the kid and hugged him close.

“Is my mommy okay?” he asked.

“She’s going to be fine. The doctors are looking at her now.”

“But, you’re a doctor.” He frowned up at him.

“I know, buddy, but these doctors are the best.”

He frowned some more. “You’re the best.”

He would have chuckled if it had been a different scenario, but now, he just hugged him and kissed him on the head.

“I love you, buddy,” he whispered.

“I love you, too.” Connor’s arms tightened around him. “I keep saying the magic words, but I won’t wake up.”

“What words?” He frowned down at the kid.

“JoJo beans.” Connor wiped tears from his eyes. “I want this to be a dream.”

He hugged the kid tighter. “So do I, kiddo.”

“Kayla Thomas’ family?” someone called from the front of the waiting room.

“Here,” he called out at the same time her mother did.

They all walked over to the ER doctor. “We’re prepping her for surgery, now that she’s stable. The bullet appears to have lodged just under her rib cage. It just missed her kidney.”

He relaxed and heard her mother let out a little cry. Crystal wrapped her arms around the woman.

“If we’re lucky, it didn’t hit anything important. Dr. Rice is going to perform the surgery. He asked if you wanted to sit in.”

Rowan thought about it, then glanced down at Connor, whose eyes were huge as he looked up at him.

“Kiddo, would you like me to help or stay with you?”

“Help my mommy. She needs you.”

Crystal reached over and took CJ from his arms. “We’ll take care of him. Go.” She nudged him.

For the next half hour, he prepped for the surgery room. When he walked in and saw Kayla laid out, tubes coming out of her soft skin, he knew there was no way he could get through this. His friend, Brandon Rice, took one look at him and nodded. “Stand in the shadows,” he said, motioning to the corner.

He stood back, listening to the staff work, his eyes glued to the monitors. When he heard her heart rate slip, he took a step forward with worry.

“I’ve got this,” Brandon said, quickly looking up at him.

“I can… If you need me.” He knew that if he had to, he would do anything to save her.

When her heart rate steadied, he relaxed and moved closer.

When Brandon set the bullet in the bowl, his eyes stayed glued to the small metal piece that had done so much damage. Only then, did he start to question who had done this to them.

His anger started to boil as they sewed her up.

When they wheeled her out to recovery, he walked back out to let the family know how she was doing. He wasn’t surprised to see a larger group of people waiting than when he’d gone in.

Serenity and Ben, Aurora, Lilith, JT, and even a few other townspeople were all crowded in the waiting area.

By the time he filled them all in, he was exhausted. He held onto Connor as they waited for news that she had been moved into a regular room. Then, he walked into the room with the kid he loved more than anything and sat next to the woman who held his heart and waited for her to open her eyes.